Dr. FangLang 's Pavement

A MASSPRODUCTION COLUMN(08/19/97, 01/29/99, 02/08/99 Revised)

The Limitation of Doujinshi-Business, the Relation between Doujinshi Cartoons and Commercial Broadcasting and Publishing (Report 4)

Comic Market 52 was held at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake, Tokyo from 08/15/97 till 08/17/97. You know Comic Market is the largest event of Doujinshi cartoon free market in Japan. Especially this summer Comike was one of the largest cartoon free markets. The entries were about 300,000 man-days.
I went to the Comike at 08/16/97. Comike repeaters will go there early in the morning and come home at 14:00 even if they are not able to obtain the object.
I also followed the custom.
That day it was windy in Tokyo. It was very lucky. I departed for Tokyo at 5:50 a.m. I reached Tokyo at 8:35 a.m. by Hikari 192 Superexpress. I reached Ariake at 9:30 a.m. A lot of people waited. The number at the eastern entry was about 5,000. I entered the eastern hall at 10:35.
I obtained several Doujinshi cartoons but could not get many objects. At 2:30 p.m. I went out of Tokyo Big Sight.
Comic Market 52 used East 1st - 6th halls and West 1st and 2nd halls. The big dealers called "Oute" had their booths by the wall of these halls. Oute have many repeaters. It is thought the number of repeaters is round 5,000.
Most of Oute consists of thirty members and employs shopgirls and queue wardens. A 50-year-old man with a business suit let those employees sell books in the "Oute" booth.
Some circles from fine arts colleges, which are very traditional, often have no products to sell and they kept sketching in the booths. The circles laying stress on costume-play paraded in the hall with the costumes of Makoto Shishio, Misao Makimachi, Kamatari Honjou (these three are from Rurouni Kenshin), Utena Tenjou, Ansie Himemiya (these two are from Utena - La Fillette Révolutionnaire), and Firia from Slayers TRY. These six characters are easy to understand and are easy to make. Most of people doing the costume-play were small young girls. Circle members made some people who were like characters from TV animations do the costume-play improvisatorially.
Moreover, the common entry consisted of young stylish tall girls called gals, male trendies, and many homely women with undeveloped breasts. However simple women in booths of circles are with full breasts. I found a queer theorem that all female amateur cartoonists are with full breasts.

I show here some Doujinshi cartoon samples on the second day of Comike.

Hall Booth Circle Major or not Doujinshi Publishing Date Erotic or not Contents Price Size Cover Pages Extras

East 2 A 40a TFC Kikaku To Yukaina Nakamatachi Major Aha Sakura Shichauzo 08/16/97 Minus Parody of Fujishima's works and very new data 900 yen B5 Full colored 96 pages with 4 full colored pages

East 2 A 47a Mo, Odori Gumi! Major Shiawase Ni Narou 06/08/97 Minus Female Kenshin breeds her baby 600 yen B5 Full colored 48 pages

East 3 A 60a NAS-ON-CH, St. DIFFERENT Major Druggers High!! VI 08/16/97 Plus Parody of Rayearth and Utena 1,000 yen B5 Full colored 64 pages

East 3 A 66a Himitsu Kessha M Major Tenjou Kakumei 08/15/97 Plus Parody of Utena 1,000 yen B5 Full colored 76 pages

East 3 A 73a RPG Company Major Megami Damashi 2 08/15/97 Plus Parody of Fujishima's works 1,000 yen B5 Full colored 108 pages 1 book

East 3 A 74a Myao Major Kinema No Yaneura 08/16/97 Plus Parody of Utena 1,000 yen A4 Full colored 40 pages with 4 full colored pages

East 3 A 87a Otesuki Club Major Otesuki Kagai Club 1997 Summer Issue 08/16/97 Minus Parody of Eva 350 yen B5 Two-color printing 28 pages

East 1 L 16? Queenz Emperor Koufuku Houteishiki 08/16/97 Minus Parody of Wish by CLAMP 600 yen B5 Full colored 32 pages 1 book

East 1 L18? Uchi No Ko Nan Biki FLOWER 03/30/97 Minus Parody of Card Captor Sakura 400 yen B5 Full colored 28 pages 2 books

East 1 M 38b Kodomo Keibitai Shounen Jidai 06/29/97 Plus Love story of Yahiko Myoujin in Rurouni Kenshin 1,000 yen A5 Full colored 84 pages

East 2 R 52b Suien Annapurna 03/20/97 Plus Love story between Hajime Saitou and Kenshin 800 yen B5 Three-color printing 42 pages

East 3 Y 33b PLUM ALL PUSH! 08/15/97 Minus Parody of TV animation type Rayearth 500 yen A5 Full colored 52 pages

East 3 Y 33b PLUM Hitosaji Futasaji Koi No Aji 08/15/97 Minus Parody of Ah! My Goddess 400 yen A5 Full colored 36 pages

East 4 Mu 48a Atsu Atsu Cook Major Happy Icecream 02/16/97 Minus Parody of Kingyo Chui Ho and Akazukin Chacha 500 yen B5 Full colored 28 pages

West 2 Ki 25a Mix Salada Alpha Koitsu Ga Ichiban!! 12/28/96 Minus Parody of Slayers series 500 yen A5 Full colored 52 pages

West 2 Su 11b ALKALOID Tsumetai Hakase To Missitsu Tachi 08/16/97 Minus Fan club of Associate Professor Hiroshi Mori of School of Engineering of Nagoya University. He is famous for his mystery novels. But this book is on his personality. 400 yen B5 Full colored 40 pages

I went to Jinbou-cho in order to obtain several books. However I could not buy the two books. One was "100-Year History of Tokyo Metropolitan Police (Japanese word: Keishi-chou 100 Nen-Shi)." The other was "Official History of Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo Metropolis (Japanese word: Bunkyou-ku Shi)." The price of the former was 35,000 yen ($300) and the price of the latter was 8,800 yen ($75.40). Very expensive. Many fans of Rurouni Kenshin want those two.
I gave up obtaining those two and went to JR Tokyo Station. I took Hikari 59 Superexpress and reached Nagoya at 19:51.
Many young girls around my seat in the train also went to Nagoya. They had many Doujinshi cartoons. It was thought they also went to Comike.
The day after there would be the more important event in Nagoya. But I was very tired.
I had to see Pikopiko Lina Chan.

This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page